Bahrain sees higher number of Covid-19 cases since last January

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The number of individuals newly infected with COVID-19 jumped to 3,020 on Tuesday, taking the total number of active cases to 22,860.

This is nearly a 670 per cent increase in the number of virus infections, compared to the data on January 19 last year, which saw 2,934 active cases along with 333 new cases.

The past year also saw a huge rise in COVID death numbers from 360 to 1,398.

But Bahrain’s battle against the virus is marked by its huge success on the vaccination front.

On January 19 last year, only 142,831 had been vaccinated, but now the number has jumped to 11,89,959. Moreover, 914,663 have received the booster dose.

The Kingdom has already approved the fourth dose of Sinopharm, serving as an impetus in its vaccination/booster efforts.

The Kingdom has also achieved a milestone in terms of PCR tests, which stand at 84,55,703.

And now, the country is all set to repeat its success in vaccinating children.

The Ministry of Health announced the opening of registration for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, starting from yesterday.

This coincides with the arrival of the first shipment of vaccines specified for this age group.

The ministry stressed the importance of vaccination, particularly for children, to protect them, their families and the community.

The Ministry of Health urged all parents who wish to vaccinate their children to register them via the BeAware app, or the ministry’s website: healthalert.gov.bh. The ministry noted that the vaccine will be administered at the vaccination centre at Sitra Mall.

According to the ministry, registration for the vaccine requires the consent of a legal guardian.

“The children must also be accompanied by an adult when receiving their vaccination,” it said.

On the treatment front, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) has approved the emergency use of the oral COVID-19 antiviral, Paxlovid.

The medication has been authorised for individuals 18-year-old and above who suffer from mild to moderate symptoms and are at an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 that may lead to mortality.

The decision follows the evaluation of data provided by the manufacturer Pfizer, carried out by the NHRA’s Pharmaceutical Products Regulation Department (PPR).

The NHRA noted that the Ministry of Health has begun importing procedures following the relevant standards and requirements, with the medication expected to arrive this month.

Paxlovid consists of two, co-packaged antiviral medicines (PF-07321332 and Ritonavir) that are designed to stop the virus causing COVID-19 from multiplying in the body and therefore help those infected to overcome the viral infection.